Our trial began on Friday, January 15, 2016. Priscilla took off early from work to see the birth of her first grandson. She kept her time with her grandson to a minimum because she was starting to feel ill. She returned home and slept for almost 16 hours. I had just came down with a bad cold on Wednesday afternoon and we were guessing she had caught my cold.
On Saturday morning I broke my fever and started to feel better. Priscilla was experiencing the same symptoms I had. Early on Monday morning, she asked me to take her to Manatee Memorial's emergency room because she was experiencing migraines. The doctor treated her for sinus pressure and send her home with antibiotics.
On Wednesday morning she was still not feeling well so I asked her to call her cousin to take her to her doctor. Once the doctor saw her, he found out that she had pneumonia. She was transported to Blake Medical Center and admitted. They began to give her oxygen, but she was having trouble maintaining her oxygen levels. Upon further examination, the doctors concluded that she was experiencing respiratory failure. She was moved to the ICU because they have the proper machine to help her with her respiratory problems.
She was placed on the machine, which was feeding her pressurized oxygen. Without the machine her oxygen level would quickly drop. She and I began to communicate using signs and having her write on a piece of paper.
On Tuesday, January 26 she was looking much better with the exception of maintaining her oxygen levels. She received a phone call from her siblings to wish her a Happy Birthday. I sang her Happy Birthday and wished her a good night.
On Wednesday, January 27 I received a call from the doctor and she had agreed to be put on the ventilator. She had been doing a lot of heavy breathing and her lungs and body were tired. She had not had any solid food for over a week and was barely getting any sleep.
On Thursday, January 28 I received another call from the hospital to informed me that her kidneys were failing and they would start her on a dialysis machine. Once I arrived at the hospital, I was shocked to find out that she had taken a turn for the worst. Her blood pressure was dropping, her heart rate was raising and she was going into septic shock. We also notice swelling on her right arm, which turned out to be a blood clot.
Who would had thought that influenza (the flu) can cause so much havoc. It's hard to comprehend how a healthy woman who wakes up at 4:15 AM to walk over 3 miles and maintain a healthy lifestyle end up fighting for her life.
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